Last week my girlfriends and I headed to Butcher and the Rye for happy hour/dinner. I had not been to this bar/restaurant located in the cultural district in downtown Pittsburgh but had been wanting to try it since it has opened! I am certainly singing its praises now that I have been! It is without a doubt the coolest restaurant in Pittsburgh-- cozy, chic, eclectic are all words I would use to describe the incredible decor. I mean really, I'd go again if only just to take in the decor-- it is spot on and not a detail was overlooked.

My bff Lauren and I taking a quick snapchat selfie outside of Heinz Hall which is right across the street from Butcher and the Rye. For those unfamiliar with Pittsburgh, Heinz Hall is an incredible theater where the Pittsburgh Symphony performs.

With my bff Amanda who just started her blog, Satin Sundays! I have been loving her blog and she has been doing such an amazing job keeping up with it. Not to mention, it's a great blog for gluten free recipes... Amanda is highly allergic to gluten and she is the most amazing cook/baker.. she frequently posts gluten free recipes that I can vouch are absolutely delicious!

I sipped on the Bee's Knees which was a gin and lemon cocktail. Their cocktails feature fresh ingredients and have a lot of small batch liquor to choose from, no to mention 350+ bourbons. For Pittsburgh standards, the cocktails were pricier than average, but delicious nonetheless.

We had our first drink on the downstairs level which is where the main bar is. It has an amazing wall of liquor and an incredible chandelier. The bills come in old books where you can actually leave a note in the book and then flip through the book to see what others have written-- a really neat touch! When I say the restaurant is impeccably designed, their beer taps were even 'in character'... one was a gun, one was a gauge, etc. Really neat!

After our first cocktail, we headed upstairs to the second bar. This bar is cozy with luxe tufted leather banquettes, kitschy sconces, taxidermic animals and another really unique and perfectly styled bar. This is the absolute place to go for date night-- I would think this would be idea for the winter months because of how cozy it is. We loved the private feeling and had plenty of time to catch up with each other over food and drinks. There is an even more extensive cocktail book to order from in the upstairs lounge but they also have the cocktail list from the downstairs bar, too. The only complaint I have for the entire night is that this lounge area is dark... I mean so dark we were whipping out our iPhones to turn on the flashlight to read the menu-- everyone else was too. It made us feel like our parents in a dimly lit restaurant, but this area was so dark it was like a cave.

The photo of the brussel sprouts don't even do this dish justice. They were honestly the most incredible brussel sprouts I have ever eaten. They seemed roasted with some sort of light lemon aioli. We're talking incredible. Amanda got scallops and they were also amazing and served on a bed of crab risotto with wilted kale on top. Lauren and I split the s'mores sundae which had fried ice cream. Yum. The only criticism is that we ordered the cheese plate... while it was presented beautifully it was awful, there were like 3 bites of cheese. Definitely not worth it.

I was coming straight from work so I wore a gingham shirt dress (similar here and here), brown leather belt (similar), peeptoe wedges (similar), a gold cuff and sunglasses. Let me just give a quick sidenote: This place is definitely not the place to wear a gingham shirtdress-- it has a very downtown vibe, but it was a last minute decision to go there so I just owned it. C'est la vie, right? If I was going there on a Friday night, I would sport a trendier/stylish dress with wedges or pumps and in winter, leather leggings, booties and an oversized sweater would be the perfect ensemble.

There are large open seating areas so getting there early and snagging a table is key. There are spaces like the one photographed above where you can dine with a reservation. If you want an 8pm reservation Friday or Saturday night, you need to plan about a month in advance... no joke. Have a fabulous day!

I love posting to Instagram. It is without a doubt my favorite social media platform. It's quick and easy but it also is the best for connecting with others. Here are some recent Instagrams if you are not a grammer... or just so you are able to know where things are from. I am usually pretty good at responding to comments/questions on Instagram, but sometimes I miss it! Hopefully this can be your guide! have a fabulous day!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Since I won Pittsburgh Magazine's Best Blogger in their Best of the Burgh feature, I thought it would be perfect for me to share my personal best of the 'burgh! Hopefully this will serve as your guide to Pittsburgh (warning: photo overload). For all of the Pittsburghers reading, I would love to hear your suggestions!

Museum
The Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History

Art Gallery

The Andy Warhol Museum

Romantic Spot

Mount Washington, specifically the West End Overlook

Place for an Outing with FriendsSienna Mercato Rooftop

Place to Catch Live Music Stage AE

Athlete Sidney Crosby or James Neal or Neil Walker...They're all cute

Team
Steelers

Pancake

Pamela’s PandG Diner (chocolate banana pancakes with a side of potatoes...So. Good.)

Bar for Lingering

Mardi Gras or The Saloon

New Bar

Butcher and the Rye (post coming soon... coolest bar in the 412)

Slice of Pizza

Mineo’s Pizza House (runner up is Betos followed by Aiellos)

Carryout

Pho Kim 88

Local Java

La Prima Espresso

Late-Night Menu
Primanti Bros.

Taco
Penn Ave Fish Co. (good sushi, too)

Candy Shop
Sarris Candies

Hole in the Wall
Mardi Gras (get the hurricane and play your favorite song on the juke box)

Bed and Breakfast

Tara Inn (north of the city)

Frozen Treat Dave and Andy's (how the heck did Ritas make the original list?!) Best homemade warm waffle cones and chocolate ice cream made from beer.

Little Tokyo (this would be my last meal... the shrimp sauce is out of this world) I recommend the spicy salmon, spicy tuna and avocado, discovery roll, seaweed salad and fried rice with shrimp sauce. Also, I'm obsessed with their pinot noir.

Best Brick Oven Pizza

Cucina Bella, it's BYOB and the walls are covered in wine glasses. One of the pizzas has coffee sprinkled on top-- might be the best pizza I've ever tasted.

Best Italian Food

Girasole or Il Pizzaiolo (a tie).

Girasole is BYOB... get the ravioli or lobster squid ink pasta. Il Pizziaiolo, get the caprese salad, penne alla vodka and prosciutto and arugula pizza. Il Pizzaiolo back patio makes you feel like you are actually in Italy and their wine bar is cozy and chic all at the same time.